The Fourth Tail
by mermaid from mako island
Summary: We all know the name Dr. Denman, and we know the trouble she caused for Emma, Cleo, and Rikki. Now six months later, she's working off the coast of Ireland. Will she run into a certain mermaid residing there? will she go on the same science crazed capture mission she did with the other girls, or has she got other plans this time?
1. Chapter 1

Bella's POV.

The water is cool. Not quite as cold as it normally is this time of year, but really warm either. Not that I mind much. I head off to my private sea cave, the one where I became a mermaid six years ago, today. I pull myself over the small rock ledge and slide into the pool. Strangely the water here is rather warm. It's always warm, not matter what the temperature is like. I guess it has something to do with the magic of this place. I rest my chin on the edge of the pool and stare out at the starry sky. I always feel at peace here. I close my eyes and feel myself start to drift off. I really shouldn't fall asleep here, I should get back home before my family notices I've snuck out, but I can't bring myself to do it, not yet anyways. My mind is full today and I need a chance to unwind. I'm worried about moving. This is the longest we've ever stayed in one place. My dad's job forces us to move a lot. It's hard enough keeping my tail a secret, I don't want to have to do that somewhere new, with new people I have to lie too. Not to mention I'll lose this cave. I can't imagine what it would be like not to come here every other day. My dad hasn't said anything about moving, but it's still a nagging worry in the back of my mind. I don't really have any friends here, its kind of hard to have people around when you can't touch water. Too many risk factors. My dad's suggested moving somewhere new, so I can make new friends. I've convinced him that I'm fine, but I don't know how long I will be able to keep that up either. I push the stressful thoughts from my mind. I came here to relax and that's exactly what I intend to do…

I jolt awake as I feel a tremor. The water starts to ripple, and rocks start to shake. It gradually grows worse as the underwater earthquake grows stronger. Soon the whole cave is shaking, and the ocean is roiling. Boulders start to fall from the cave ceiling, they land in the ocean, on the cave floor and some fall into the pool. I feel a sharp pain in my fin and a cry of pain tears from my throat. Then just as suddenly as it came on, everything goes still. As the dust settles I look around. Lots of rocks have come loose, piling around the entrance, making it hard to even see the ocean outside.

"Great those will take forever to move" I mutter to myself, miserably. I go to start moving some of the rocks and find myself incapable of moving. I look behind me to see my fin pinned to the floor of the pool. Seeing it makes me aware of the dull throbbing in my tail. Some of the boulders must have fallen on my tail during the earthquake, and they've now effectively trapped me in the cave…

**Okay, really short and dull chapter, but I'll try to make the next one longer and better. This was rolling around in my head driving me nuts, so I thought I'd write it. I'm working on the next chapter of a fish out of water as well, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to update right away. Going through a stressful patch at school, so I won't be have as much time to write, with mid-term reports coming up and whatnot. But I promise to try and update as soon as I can. Don't forget to review, if you want of course, but your comments are helpful, inspirational, and very appreciated, thanks. ;)**

**-Mermaid**


	2. Chapter 2

Bella's POV

I tug at my tail again, trying to pull it free. No success. I sigh and close my eyes, breathing deeply. By now it's mid-afternoon, two days after the undersea earthquake. I'm starting to get dehydrated and I started ignoring my stomach, several hours ago. My parents must be really worried by now, not that there's much chance of them finding me here. I attempt to push against the boulder, but it's too heavy for me to move, especially at this awkward angle. Even my powers are completely useless, it's not like I can turn rock into gelatin, just liquids. I sigh in defeat. The last thing I want to do is die trapped under a rock, in a sacred mermaid pool. Tomorrow night is the full moon. All I can do is hope that that might somehow help me get free, though it's very unlikely. I listen for any sounds outside of the cave. There are a few seagulls in the sky, but other than that I don't hear anything. Wait no that's a lie, I think I can hear a boat engine in the distance. Panic momentarily sweeps through me.

"It's okay Bella, boat come round all the time, it's not like they would find this place anyways. Not with the sea entrance blocked." I reassure myself. The only other entrance is naturally concealed among the rocks and crevices up top. I'm still not sure how I managed to find it. No one is going to find this cave. I hope. The only thing I fear more than starving to death in this cave; is being exposed and spending my last moments of life strapped to a dissection table.

Linda's POV.

I slip on a sweater, before covering it with my lab coat. I will admit it is significantly colder here than the Gold Coast or the Florida Keys. I'd spent the last six months in Florida, studying coral. Before that was the Gold Coast, where I had made one of the biggest discoveries possible, only to have it ripped away from me. I push that thought from my mind. What's done is done. Now I have to focus on the task ahead. Studying the fish populations in and around Ireland's different sea caves. As the cliffs come into view, I signal for Greg to stop the boat. I slip on an insulated wetsuit, and climb into all my diving gear. I slip on my flippers and test my regulator. When I'm certain everything is good to go, I grab a case of underwater, motion activated cameras as well as an underwater video camera. I hand the video camera to Greg, who's also suited up.

"Are you ready?" he asks. I nod in confirmation, and we dive. The water is chilly and dark, nowhere near as bright and clear as the waters of Australia.

'Stop thinking about Australia.' I scold myself. 'It's in the past.' I set one of the tiny cameras under a piece of brain coral, and another in a bed of sea grass. A lone manatee swims by me. He watches me lazily, his one eyes following my movements. He doesn't seem threatened by my presence, but I know better than to approach him. Behind me, Greg is taking photos of different sea life. I glance around. There doesn't seem to be too many fish around here. I squint. Most of the fish in the area are all swimming in from of a piece of the cliff. I signal to Greg to surface. he nods and follows me up. once I'm above the water, I pull the regulator from my mouth. I turn towards the cliff where I saw all the fish. It looks like it may be part of a cave, but most of the entrance was covered by fallen rocks.

'There must have been an earthquake or a cave in.' curiousity whips through me. The last time I found a sort of hidden cave, I also ended up finding…

'No! You have work to do, knows not the time to be thinking about mako island.' Still if the fish are attracted to this cave it could be worth checking out.

"Hey Greg, do we have any maps of these cliffs?" I ask. He nods.

"Certainly, why?"

"I want to see if there's a land entrance to this cave." I state.

"Then let's go back to the boat and have a look." He suggests. I nod and head back towards the boat.

An hour later, all the scuba gear has been put away and I'm standing over a chart of the cliffs. I place my finger on the area of the cave.

"This is where the cave is." I state.

"Then, if there is a ground entrance, it'll be right around here." Greg says, circling another area in red marker.

"You're sure?" I ask.

"Positive. My brother studies caves and tunnels, he taught me all about natural formed caverns. I won't go into details right now." He explains.

"Then lets go." I decide.

"Hey, Linda, what's so important about this cavern?" Greg inquires. "You're not thinking about the cave on mako are you? Because I thought you were putting that experience behind you. "

"I have put it behind me. There something in that cavern that's attracting what few fish are still hanging around here. As marine biologists it our job to find out what it is." I snap. Greg doesn't respond. He simply starts the engine and steers the boat towards the shore.

After about twenty minutes of hiking, we finally reach the spot where the entrance should be. I look around. There are plenty of crevices, but none of them are big enough to be a cave entrance. I walk in a large circle around the area.

"I thought you said there was an entrance here." I declare.

"I said there might be, there might not be an entrance at all."

"Then we had better go down and start moving some of those rock… whoa" I break off as my foot slips on a wet rock. I find myself tumbling down a well concealed hole in the rocks. It seems oddly like the entrance to mako, I took the same fall back then too.

"Dr. Denman? Are you alright?" Greg calls.

"I'm fine, but I think I found our cave entrance." I reply. A moment later Greg carefully slides down after me. I stand up and walk down the tunnel with Greg hot on my heels. The tunnel eventually opens up to the cave. I gasp. There's a pool of water in the cave that isn't unlike the one on mako. But it's not the pool that amazes me. it's the figure in the pool. A mermaid…

I stare at the girl in shock. I never thought I'd see another mermaid. Luckily she hasn't noticed us yet. Greg comes into the cave.

"Whoa." He shouts. I growl in frustration as the girl's head whips around to stare at us. Her eyes widen in fear. I walk towards the water.

"N-no stay back." The mermaid mutters fearfully. I stop and truly observe her. Her hair is blond, she has bright blue eyes, and her tail is the same color as the tails of Emma, Cleo, and Rikki.

"Amazing." I whisper. As I get closer, I notice her trying to edge away, with no success. Its then that I notice the problem. Her tail fin is trapped under some rocks that have fallen in the pool.

'I wonder how long she's been stuck in here.' I grab a walkie talkie from my pack. I radio back to the boat, where the rest of my team is.

"Hey, I need you guys to come over here. Bring a car jack, dolphin stretcher, and some tranquilizers." I order into the device.

"Roger that! We'll be there in half hour." Comes the reply. I put the walkie talkie back into my bag.

"Let's see if we can move those rocks on our own." I suggest. Greg nods. We walk over to the edge of the pool. The water isn't very deep and the tops of the rocks are sticking out of the water. Greg and I push against one, but they are heavier than they first looked. The mermaid strains frantically, probably trying to get away from us.

"Stop that." I scold. "You'll only injure yourself." I lost three mermaids last time. I won't have this one going and tearing her fin off.

"W-what do you wa-ant with me?" she asks.

"Let's just focus on getting those rocks off you. Have you got a name?" She nods.

"It's Bella." She replies quietly, resting her chin on the far edge of the pool.

"How did you end up in here anyways?" I inquire. Bella looks away and ignores my question. I sigh and tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. I turn to Greg.

"Why don't you go wait up top for the team, so they can find the entrance?" I suggest. Greg nods before heading out, he knows better than to argue with me. I don't care much for people who can't do their jobs without complaint. Once he leaves, I make pick my way carefully around the pool; I have no intention of falling in. I sit down on a fallen rock. The mermaid, Bella, watches me suspiciously. I pull a notebook out from my bag and start jotting down some rough observations. I make points about her tail's color, structure, size, and shape. I also note the some differences and similarities I notice between her and a regular teenaged girl. After about fifteen minutes I put my notepad away. Standing up, I walk back through the tunnel to the entrance. I can hear a bunch of voices outside.

"You all want to quite chatting and get down here?" I suggest impatiently.

"Sorry Dr. Denman, we're coming." An intern, George, states. A moment later, George, Greg, Collin, and Scarlet, come sliding down. Scarlet stands up and blows a lock of red hair from her face. She hands me a small kit. Inside are numerous tranquilizers, sample jars, slides, needles for blood tests, and a pair of tweezers, along with some medical supplies. Collin has a rolled up dolphin stretched under one arm and George is carrying a car jack.

"Hey what do we need this stuff for anyways?" Collin asks.

"You'll see in a moment. But before we go, this information is to be kept strictly confidential. Am I understood?" every member of my crew mutters there agreement. I nod curtly and walk back to the cave. I hear Scarlet gasp as she lays eyes on the pool… and it's occupant.

"Alright let's get started." I say. "Collin roll that stretcher out and get it ready." Collin nods. "Greg, you and George get to work moving that boulder, the other rocks should be pretty movable after that. Scarlet come with me." My team does as instructed. Greg slips into the water to move the car jack into place. His actions startle Bella, she watches his every movement intently, occasionally tugging at her tail. I lead Scarlet around the pool, until we are standing in front of the young girl. I watch Greg strains to work the car jack. George slides into the pool to help him. Bella shifts uncomfortably. There's not much room in the pool so George is barely five centimeters away from her.

"Don't move." I order her. "You'll only make their job more difficult." Together the two men are able to lift the boulder up about a foot. The smaller rocks easily slide out of the way. I kneel down and grab one of Bella's arms, indicating for Scarlet to do the same. Bella panics and tries to pull away. I tighten my grip and together, Scarlet and I pull her free and out of the water. Collin brings the stretcher over and we lay the mermaid down on the white cloth. I look over her tail for any immediate signs of damage. The area around her fin looks swollen, and her tail and fin have multiple scratches and cuts on them, but she doesn't seem to have any major damage. I place a hand on her tail and she flinches.

"How does it feel?" I ask.

"Sore, but I think is alright." Bella replies. Her voice sounding strained and distant. I nod.

"We are still going to take you back to the boat. I want to make sure you haven't sustained any injuries that aren't visible." I inform her.

"N..no, no its its okay. I'll be fine, honest." She props herself up on her arms and tries to drag herself off the stretcher. I place a hand on her spine and gently push her back down.

"Just relax. You'll be fine." I soothe. I open the kit Scarlet brought down and pull out a small tranquilizer. Bella's eyes widen.

"No don't. Leave me alone, please." She begs, raising one hand. I stop, remembering the other girls and their powers over water.

"It's all right. You need to calm down." I state, taking her arm and injecting the needle into it. She pulls out of my grasp. Her eyes are starting to droop as the drugs take effect. A few moments later her muscles relax as she slips into oblivion. I stand up and excitement whips through me. This is my second chance, and this time... I'm not going to blow it.

"Let's get her back to the boat."

**That's a much better chapter. Anyways thanks for reading. Maybe consider leaving a review? :) **

**-Mermaid**


	3. Chapter 3

Bella's POV

With a groan I open my eyes and then quickly shut them again as they're harassed by the harsh lights. After a few moments I slowly open them again, adjusting to the brightness. I'm lying on a small white bed. There's a small pain in my wrist. I look over to see that there's an IV in my arm. I frown. Even though it looks like water I don't know for sure and I don't want to risk having weird chemical injected into me. I move to pull the IV out at the same moment the door opens.

"No leave it in. It's water and you're pretty dehydrated." A voice says. I look over to see the woman from before. She's wearing a large white lab coat. Her blond hair is pulled back into a ponytail and she's holding a clipboard. I prop myself up on one elbow, momentarily glancing down at my tail. It's almost dry.

"Who are you anyways?" I ask.

"Dr. Linda Denman. I'm a marine biologist." She answers. A brief but familiar tingling sweeps through me as my tail reverts back to legs, leaving me in my blue tank top and a pair of jean shorts. My hair is back in its side braid, dangling loosely over my left shoulder and my crystal necklace is resting on my collarbone. Dr. denman stares in awe.

"That's amazing." She states. I sit up.

"Yeah its pretty cool." I admit. "But how did you know that I wouldn't dry out? I mean if you didn't know I could change forms, then wouldn't you have assumed I need to stay in the water?" I inquire. Dr. Denman smiles.

"Believe it or not, you aren't the first mermaid I've ever met. I've just never really gotten to see the transformation. But I do know how it works." She says. Know its my turn to stare.

"You mean I'm not the only one? There are others?" I ask. She laughs.

"Yes." I scratch my arm around the IV. Its starting to get irritating.

"Couldn't I just drink water instead?" I suggest. Denman sighs.

"I suppose…" I don't wait for her to finish before I tear the needle from my arm. She hands me a bottle of water. I take a few sips before putting it down.

"How long do I have to stay her?" I ask hesitantly, fearing the answer.

"That'll depend on you." Dr. Denman replies. "And how quickly you recover."

"Well I honestly feel alright. A little tired, but I'll live." I say, standing up. I wince as I put weight on my ankles, and it doesn't go unnoticed.

"Sit down." Linda orders sharply. I quickly comply. "Until you've had a proper medical exam, you're not to move from that bed unless instructed." I nod, not wanting to anger her. "Now in the meantime, id like you to answer a few questions." I meet her gaze.

"Like what?" I ask.

"How did you end up trapped like that? And how long were you there?"

"I was in the cave; I think there was a seaquake or an underwater tremor, either way a bunch of rocks fell loose. And I think it was only two days." I answer.

"Why were you even in that cave? It didn't look like there was a proper sea entrance. You would have had to drag yourself over the rocks. Why go through all the trouble?" I lower my gaze. I barely know this woman and I'm not about to tell her why that sea cave is so special. Dr. Denman purses her lips. "Fine, I get it. Too personal. But at least answer one question honestly. Where you born a human or a mermaid? Do you have a family on land?"

"Human." I whisper. "And I do have a family, they're probably wondering where I am."

"Do they know about…" Linda trails off. I shake my head.

"No, they don't, and truthfully I don't think I want them too. They would try to find a cure, but I'm not sick, there's nothing wrong with me."

"Well, I o have to contact them, let them know you're alright. Legally I can't keep you here without parents' consent. Is there a way for me to get a hold of them?" she inquires. I nod.

"You could call my dad's work number if you want. No one will answer the home phone." I tell her my father's number and she quickly jots it down.

"Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes." She says leaving the room. I sigh and fiddle with a lock of my hair. A few moments later, Linda reenters the room. She presses a cell phone against her shoulder.

"He wants to speak to you. To make sure you're alright. I didn't tell him about your tail. Just that you were in an accident, and that you're here now alright?"" I nod and accept the phone. I press it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Bella! Thank the heavens. Are you alright? What happened? You've been missing for three days. and then I get a call from a marine biologist saying you're on her boat and you were in an accident." My father's exclaims through the phone.

"I'm okay dad. Honest. I was exploring some of the caves in the cliffs, and I got caught in the quake or whatever happened. It shook a bunch of rocks loose and I large one landed on my leg, but I don't think I broke anything, I really am okay." I explain, trying to calm him down.

"I knew those caves were a bad idea, what were you thinking, going down there alone?"

"I'm sorry." I apologize.

"It doesn't matter, the main thing is you're okay. Sit tight, I'm going to come pick you up. Hand the phone back to the biologist. Are you sure you're alright sweetheart?"

"I'm fine dad." I assure him, before giving the phone back to Linda. She takes the phone and starts talking with my father. I zone out the conversation, and the next thing I know, Dr. Denman is talking to me.

"You are going to have to tell him when he gets here you know that right? It's not like you can just go to a doctor to get your fin looked at, and I think it's going to need some attention, especially if you intend to be swimming anytime soon. And I'm going to have to be the one to look at it, if you don't want a bunch of people knowing, but your father won't like that without a reasonable explanation." I nod.

"I know." I reply

"Are you alright though. Does anything hurt or feel numb?"

"My legs are stiff, and my ankles and feet are sore, but it's not too bad." I admit.

"What about food? Are you hungry at all, you were down there for a few days." she asks. My stomach growls involuntarily at the thought of food. Linda smiles. "I guess I have my answer. Umm Bella, I don't really know anything about your digestive system. Can you eat… you know, the same things I can?" I laugh.

"Please don't give me raw fish, that's just gross. Regular food will be fine."

"Alright, if you're sure."

"Positive." I say. "And thank you."

"No problem" she states, before leaving. I lean back against the wall, my feet dangling over the bed. I stare at my feet, before trying to rotate my ankles. Pain shoots up my legs, making me wince. Okay so I'm not as fine as I originally thought. I lie down on the cot, suddenly exhausted. I close my eyes and before I know it I'm dozing off.

"Bella. Bella wake up." I hear someone say.

"Huh?" I groan.

"You fell asleep, get up your father's here." I open my eyes to find Dr. Denman leaning over me.

"M'kay, I'm coming." I say sleepily.

"No, I'm going to bring him down here, but you have to wake up first." She states. I push myself into a sitting position and rub my eyes, blinking rapidly I clear my vision.

"Alright, I'm awake." I confirm. Linda Denman walks out and a moment later she returns with my father close behind. He rushes over and wraps me in a hug. I wince as his leg smacks painfully against my ankle. He pulls back, a concerned look on his face.

"What the matter?" he demands.

"Nothing, my ankle's pretty sore that's all." I reply. He nods, but the worried expression doesn't leave his face. He turns to Dr. Denman.

"Thank you, for rescuing my daughter."

"Its not a problem, Mr. …"

"Hartley. Brian Hartley." He introduces. "Now I don't want to appear rude, but I think I should take my daughter home now, and then to see a doctor."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Hartley, and I understand your want to take her home, but going to see a doctor might not be the best thing for Bella." Linda says.

"What do you mean?"

"Well Bella's not an ordinary girl, but I think I'll let her tell you about that." Linda states.

"Gee thanks." I mutter.

"What's she talking about Bella?" my dad inquires. I sigh.

"It's probably easier to show you than for me to explain." I begin. I grab the bottle of water from the side of the bed and pour water over my wrist. Ten seconds later, my legs become a long golden tail. The area around my fin looks puffy and swollen. There's a dull throbbing pain in my tail. My father's eyes widen with shock. For a moment I think he might faint, but then he composes himself.

"What kind of trick is this?" he demands.

"Mr. Hartley, I assure you that this is no trick…"

"Shut up." my father roars, cutting Denman off. "You can't really expect me to believe that my daughter is a fish."

"Dad, it-its true. I wouldn't lie to you." I say, a guilty feeling worming its way into my gut. The truth is I've been lying to him since I was nine, when I didn't tell him I was a mermaid.

"Isabella Hartley, this is not a joking matter." My father warns.

"I know." I whisper softly, tears brimming in my eyes. "But I've been this way for a long time, long before I met DR. Denman. It's no trick. Why do you think I'm always avoiding water like the plague? I really am a mermaid dad." His expression softens.

"Its true?" he asks. I nod. "Oh Bella, my poor sweet girl don't worry, we'll find a way to fix this." He grabs my hand a strokes it gently. "We'll take you to a doctor or someone who can help. We'll get you back to normal."

"No." I cry, pulling my hand away. "Don't you get it? I'm not sick; this isn't a disease or something that can be fixed. It's who I am. I was nine. I've been like this for seven years. You can't fix this, and I don't want you to. Please just accept it. Accept me." I beg. Hesitantly he reaches out a hand and places it on my scales. He strokes them softly, as if trying to come to terms with them. He stares at the swollen part sadly.

"What do I have to do, what's the best thing I can do for Bella?" he asks Linda.

"Let her stay here. I'm a marine biologist and I'm trained in veterinary medicines. I can help her heal, and then she can go home. Live life the same way she did before the accident." Linda explains. Father turns to me.

"Is that what you want." He asks. I hesitate before nodding.

"I want to make sure my tail is okay." He winces as I say tail, but I choose to ignore it. "I don't want the world knowing, I don't want to be a science experiment. If staying here for a bit means that everything can go back to normal, then I'll do it." I look at Dr. Denman. "You can do research on me. I know you want to, just please don't cut me open or expose me or anything." She smiles.

"I wouldn't think of it."

''Alright then, but behave yourself okay?" dad agrees. "And I'll check in on you every evening when I get off of work." He turns to Linda, as if daring her to object. She doesn't.

"I will, know go back to work, before you get into trouble." I order.

"Yes ma'am." He teases, bowing. I laugh, and I can see Linda swallowing a chuckle. Denman leads my father out, probably to work out details. A warm fuzzy feeling settles itself inside me. It was touch and go, but my father accepted who I am. There's no better feeling in the world. Except maybe swimming.

**Okay so another chapter done. I hope you like it. Sorry if it was a slow chapter, but it was necessary, I'll try to make the next one more interesting. Reviews are still loved beyond measure.**

**-Mermaid.**


	4. Chapter 4

Linda's POV.

I smile as I watch Mr. Hartley leave. I can finally do mermaid research, and this time I can finally do it without ruining a life. I've come to terms with the fact that I did indeed destroy the lives of Emma, Cleo, and Rikki. I won't do the same with Bella. She seems pretty cooperative, and I think that we might be able to reach an agreement. I head to the back of the boat, I pull open the door to find Bella sitting up on the bed.

"How do you feel?" I ask her. She looks up.

"Alright I think." She states.

"Well, we'll be pulling into port soon. I need to pick up my assistant Scarlet. She's almost ompleted her training as a marine veterinarian. When she gets on board, we'll get that medical exam out of the way, alright?" Bella nods.

"Kay. But is there anything to eat?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, your father got here and it completely slipped my mind." I reply. "I'll be right back alright?" she nods, and I quickly head to the tiny kitchen on the boat. There's a plate sitting on the counter. On it is a tuna sandwich, an apple, and a water bottle is sitting beside it. I grab the items and head back to Bella's bunk. I hand her the food and sit down in a chair.

"Okay, I do have questions for you and I would like them to be answered." I inform her. She nods.

"I guess I owe you that much…" she mutters.

"First off why were you in that cave? How did you even get in there?" she stares at her lap.

"I wanted to explore. I pulled myself over the rocks, like you said earlier. How did you get in?" she replies.

"There was a second entrance up on the cliffs." I state. "Are there more of you? Mermaids I mean, and don't worry, they aren't in any danger, I promise to leave any others alone." Bella shakes her head.

"I'm the only one. Which sucks because it'd be cool to have someone to swim with."

"Alright last two questions for now. First how long have you been like this, and how did you get a tail in the first place?" I inquire.

"I've been this way since I was nine. And-" She hesitates. "I can't tell you how. Please understand… I think that it's supposed to be private." I sigh.

"Alright fair enough. Now I don't intend to turn you into a lab rat, but would you let me do some research?" I ask. Bella fiddles with the end of her shirt, clearly debating. After a moment.

"I suppose as long as-"

"I promise you'll be informed of everything I intend to do, before it happens, and you can call it off at any time. I won't make the same mistake twice." I vow. Her eyebrows furrow.

"What do you mean?" I sigh, realizing I said the last part out loud.

"Let's just say that you aren't the first mermaid I've ever met." I admit. Bella's face lights up.

"You mean I'm not the only one with a tail? There are others? Where? How many?" I hold up my hand silencing her storm of questions.

"I met three girls in Australia. They also had tails, and I made a horrible mistake. Got in over my head and carried away. The last time I saw them, they were regular girls. They had given up their powers." I explain, guilt and regret thick on my tongue.

"Wait. You mean you can do that, give up being a mermaid? Why would they want to do that? I mean yeah obviously there are some drawbacks, but it can't compare to the magic." I stare at my own lap.

"Let's just say that it wasn't something they wanted to do and leave it at that. Like I said. Mistakes were made, that's it." Bella opens her mouth to say more but seems to decide against it. She takes a bite of her apple, having already polished off the sandwich. "So we'll be docking soon, when we do, I'll take you up to the lab and get your…tail…examined, make sure nothing is broken. Alright?" Bella nods in agreement, before yawning. "Get some rest and I'll wake you when we arrive." She nods.

"Okay, thanks." She replies, lying down. I get up and silently leave the room, a bit of triumph leaking into my demeanor. I shove it down. I may have one something for science today, but I still have to leash myself. I will have some respect for Bella. She may be a major scientific discovery but she's still legally a human being. This time I have to remember that. No matter what the cost. And then maybe one day I can find a way to redeem myself to Emma, Cleo, and maybe even Rikki. I frown at the thought, realizing that that is truly what it was about; getting rid of my guilt. I shake my head. Then I guess that means I haven't changed. Not truly anyways.

**I sincerely apologize for the long wait. I had some computer trouble, but I'm back online now. This chapter was a little boring a vague, but I just got over writers block so please cut me some slack. I will try my best to make the next one more interesting. I'd like to thank all my reviewers, favoriters, and followers, you support is greatly appreciated. And a special thanks to Pixiedragon25 for support and suggestions with this chapter. Like always I truly appreciate reviews, and if anyone has any suggestions for this story, please feel free to share them. I'm especially open to suggestions right now. **

**-mermaid**


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